Visual Note Taking
It’s also called Sketch Noting. I just started paying attention to this helpful tool to organize thoughts and notes. When I think back, I remember that I used to doodle to keep myself awake in high school. I’d take up margins with decor, but never consciously thought to combine it with book learning data for a comprehensive result… that might actually get me to understand more!
I started the UX Academy boot camp with DesignLab in December. After spending at least 6 hours a day reading on the computer, I could feel the eye strain. I bought a (not so) stylish pair of blue light glasses. They help! I thought I used the technology a lot before (Apple is always telling me about my increasing screen time), but nothing like this. I think it has to do with the learning process- when I was last in a school program, we read our books on paper! What a concept, I know.
When I was in high school, success meant high letter grades. But thinking back, how was my comprehension? I understood some of what I was tested on, but mostly with teachers than made us show proof. This happened in math & english. Today, I couldn’t tell you even one of the American history dates I had to memorize or any bone insertions from the hundreds of anatomy notecards I wrote out.
College was similar, though there was a little more depth. I took advantage of office hours and TAs. I had study groups and focused my work on historically open-ended subjects. Thus, my degree in American Literature & Culture was achieved. Ah, and I would dare not omit mentioning the equally subjective study subject in which I got my Music History Minor.
Now, 15 years later, I’m out of the work force…. and I’m in boot camp. I’m on my own. I find myself scouring external resources for understanding, and often get hung up on semantics or spiral down with a specific example of misunderstanding.
I know my weak spots, and still use external resources to help me learn. I am great at joining groups that allow for bonding, open questions and camaraderie.
Is there an internal way that I can hone in on my comprehension? Turns out… I am already doing one!
I recently came across a notepad I’d written on during a zoom call when the catering company I worked for was in limbo due to Covid closures in April of 2020. I didn’t realize until looking at it now that this is an example of visual note taking.
In the past I’ve written notes like this ‘in the moment’ during meditation retreats, watching ted talks and working other internal growth and self care moments. I never thought about being able to apply it to something in a concrete education setting until I started my path in UX Design. The light switch has been flicked on!
In one of my recent 1–1 sessions, my mentor complimented me on my ability to “take it all in and put it somewhere” in regards to information. I am able to sort things out when I am given a large task. I have to thank years of catering, putting together prep and order lists from large varied menus for events that would be happening in the same week. organizing staff.
Last week I sat down to listen to an hour seminar that I’d heard about through DesignLab. The seminar was on how to Strategically Position Yourself In a Crowded Job Market. The speaker was Samuel Harper. It was at the end of a long day, and I explore the note taking that I had recently discovered as helpful in my recent DesignLab assignment. And we were off! It was a really fun practice. Writing things down kept me engaged, and Sam’s presentation had a slide deck that helped me cultivate certain key points. When I was done, it looked pretty good!
Unlike previous works for myself, I saw some greatness in this spur of the moment draft. I shared it with Sam on Linkedin. He was pleased by it, and shared it in a post- the positive comments were really validating. It was a relieving change of pace to get a compliment as well as an end result that came easily. I’ve been pushing myself to learn and often struggle with UI intricacies, so tiny victories in that realm come once I’m mentally exhausted.
Even more compelling was when I decided to share my notes with my peer group who also attended the webinar. The stand out was when I was called out for mentioning “There’s always Knoxville!” This was an aside that Sam mentioned when referencing thinking outside of the box to enter a smaller market if you have the option. It was something I clung to, and it turns out, was great for others, too.
Since then, I’ve decided to investigate this further. I’ve found books written on it, as I mentioned, UX Mastery does live video versions, there’s a lot out there. My UXA mentor mentioned that people get paid for this sort of thing. Even before a step like that, I just want to practice more. It interests me and gets my eyes off the screen every once in a while.
Visual Notetaking helps me learn complex ideas, and it is a fun way to share my findings with others. I am excited to pay more attention to when it naturally comes up, and what kind of pits I am bound to fall into as I start practicing it more!
